Craft Brewing Enjoys Biggest Growth

2008 Craft brewing statistics are out, and show that craft brewing continues to grow at a pace that outperforms non-craft domestics (i.e. Mass produced beers) and certainly imports (which actually dropped).

Vermont topped the list of breweries per capita for 2008 with 19 breweries one brewery for every 32,698 citizens in the state. Lucky Vermont! ;)

Washington state placed a respectable 8th on the breweries per capita list, with 100 breweries in the state (one for every 65K citizens).

Craft Brewing statistics:

• Growth of the craft brewing industry in 2008 was 5.8% by volume and 10.5% by dollars.
  
• The craft brewing industry produced nearly 8.6 million barrels of craft beer in the U.S. in 2008.
  
• The fastest growing sector craft brewing sector continues to be microbreweries, showing customer support for local breweries.
  
• The craft brewing sales share as of December '08 is 4% by volume and 6.3% by dollars.
  
• Total U.S. craft brewing industry annual dollar volume is $6.3 billion.

(Source beertown.org.)

It appears that, even in tough economic times, people still need a good beer. It also seems that an increasingly larger segment of the population is warming up to craft beers over mass produced American lagers.

Brew on!

1st Annual Seattle Beer Week Is May 7-17

OK, so the 7th to the 17th is a bit more than one week. Are you complaining? Get ready for the very first Seattle Beer week, kicking off Thursday, May 7th at The Pike Brewery at Pike Place Market in Seattle.

A few years, back the Brewer's Association and the American Homebrewer's Association established American Beer Month (July). Of course, that just wasn't enough for us here in Seattle (and who wants to wait until July?) We had to go one step further and create Seattle Beer Week - and here it comes!

Whether you are a seasoned vet or brand new to the Seattle beer scene, Seattle Beer Week is filled with enough variety so that anyone can find a beer they're sure to enjoy. So grab a few friends and head out to one of your favorite Seattle watering holes for this week of fun.

See HERE for a full listing of Seattle Beer Week events.

Brew on!

May Beer Events

The 2009 Barleywine festivals are over, but that doesn't mean you still can't find some great beer events. Here is a listing of beer events happening in and around Western Washington this May:

Merchant du Vin Belgian Beer Tasting (Huckleberry's, Spokane, WA):
May 2. 2-4PM
Jhon Gilroy from Merchant du Vin will be on hand to discuss Orval Trappist, Westmalle Trappist, Rochfort Trappist, Lindeman's Lambics and Green's Gluten-free Belgian Ales.
$5 for 8 tastes. Call 509-624-1349 for more info.

7th Annual Hopscotch (Fremont Studios, Seattle, WA):
May 8. 5PM-12AM and May 9. 1PM-12AM
Here's your chance to chat with experts in beer, scotch and tequila.
Proceeds benefit SIFF.
$20 advanced. $25 at the door. http://www.hopscotchtasting.com/

Chuckanut Brewery's Spring Brewmaster Dinner (Chuckanut Brewery, Bellingham, WA):
May 11. 6PM
A decadent night of beer and food pairings along with discussions by Brewmaster Will Kemper and Chef Chad Bowes.
Tickets $50. http://www.chuckanutbreweryandkitchen.com/ (or 360-72-2337)

South Seattle Breweries Open House (Various Locations, Seattle, WA):
May 16. 10AM-6PM
Visit the five craft breweries in the South Seattle area: Georgetown Brewing, Baron Brewing, Trade Route Brewing, Schooner Exact and Big Al Brewing.
No cost. Maps: www.seattlebeerweek.com/events.htm

As you can see, there's plenty to choose from. So get out there and enjoy some great beer.

Brew on!

Welcome To Brew Monger

Hello and welcome to Brew Monger!

I will be posting regularly about beer, brewpub, homebrewing and other beer-related topics in and around the great Northwest and beyond.

Follow my exploits as I start my journey to visit every brewpub in the state of Washington!

Brew on!